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US proposes stricter English rules for Mexican train crews citing safety concerns
🇲🇽 Mexico /Economy & Trade

US proposes stricter English rules for Mexican train crews citing safety concerns

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The U.S. is proposing stricter English language rules for Mexican train crews operating across the border.
  • The proposed rule aims to ensure crews understand safety information and prevent foreign crews from threatening U.S. jobs.
  • Federal inspectors found Mexican train crews struggled to understand English safety bulletins and regulations.

The U.S. administration is pushing for stricter English proficiency requirements for Mexican train crews involved in cross-border cargo transport. The move, announced Friday, aims to ensure these crews can comprehend critical safety information and that the common practice of employing foreign crews does not jeopardize American jobs.

Two major railway unions have endorsed the proposed rule, which also seeks to strengthen standards for certifying crews' safe operation of trains. Federal inspectors had previously identified issues, sending letters to Union Pacific and CPKC in December after inspections revealed that crews often had difficulty understanding English during specific checks. The government is now pushing for reinforced regulations, emphasizing the need for crews to communicate effectively, especially with dispatchers and emergency teams during crises.

Inspectors noted numerous problems last fall at Union Pacific's Eagle Pass rail yard and CPKC's Laredo facility. Crews there struggled to understand operational bulletins and regulations requiring hazardous materials information and emergency responses to be in English. While both companies had previously committed to adhering to existing rules, the federal government now seeks to solidify these requirements. This safety initiative aligns with the Department of Transportation's broader efforts to ensure truck drivers can understand English for road signs, warnings, and emergency communications.

This development follows similar concerns raised by Mark Wallace, national president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, regarding the use of Mexican train crews. The proposed rule also echoes the government's stance on commercial driver's licenses, where it has withheld highway funds from New York and California due to dissatisfaction with their measures to ensure the validity of issued licenses.

railway crews must be able to communicate fully and correctly when crossing into the United States, particularly with dispatchers and emergency teams during a crisis, as a critical safety function.

— U.S. GovernmentThe government is reinforcing regulations because it wants to ensure train crews can communicate effectively during emergencies.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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